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Gunmen have seized in excess of 300 students and teachers in one of the most significant collective seizures in modern Nigerian experience, as reported by a religious organization on Saturday.

Escalating Emergency in School Institutions

The Friday morning assault on St Mary's co-educational school in western Nigeria happened just a short time after gunmen invaded a high school in neighboring Kebbi state, taking 25 young women.

Earlier reports had indicated 227 victims were taken, but revised numbers emerged after a comprehensive assessment established that 303 pupils and 12 educators had been abducted.

The kidnapped children, ranging between eight and 18 years, represent nearly half of the school's overall student body of 629.

Government Reaction and Security Measures

State authorities have announced that intelligence departments and police are presently conducting a comprehensive census to establish the exact number of missing people.

In reaction to the growing security concerns, the local authorities has ordered the shutting of all schools in the state, with nearby states adopting comparable preventive actions.

Furthermore, the national education department has ordered the temporary shutting of 47 residential high schools throughout the country.

President Bola Tinubu has postponed international engagements, including attendance at the G20 summit in Johannesburg, to focus on managing the situation.

Recent Security Events

The educational institution kidnappings represent the latest in a sequence of security breaches that have shaken the country, including an attack on a place of worship in western Nigeria where gunmen shot dead two people and abducted dozens congregation members during a live-streamed service.

These incidents have taken place against the background of global focus on Nigeria's safety situation.

Historical Background

Nigeria continues to be scarred by the legacy of the large-scale kidnapping of almost 300 schoolgirls by extremist group Boko Haram in Chibok more than a decade ago, with some of those victims still missing.

Eyewitness Testimonies

In a disturbing video clip circulated by Christian groups, a frightened worker recounted hearing the sounds of motorcycles and cars before hearing "forceful banging" on various entrances of the school premises.

"Students were screaming," the witness said, recounting her fear while looking for access to the section where the screaming was most intense.

The regional Catholic authority stated that the "attackers acted violently and without interruption for almost three hours, moving through sleeping quarters."

Citizen Reaction and Concerns

Meanwhile, about 600km away on the periphery of Abuja, worried guardians were collecting their children from schools following the closure order.

One parent, a 40-year-old healthcare worker, voiced her shock at the scale of the abduction, questioning how 300 students could be taken at once.

She concluded that the "authorities is failing to act to address insecurity," and voiced support for external assistance to "salvage this situation."

Continuing Security Issues

For years, heavily armed bandit groups have been carrying out murders and abductions for ransom in remote areas of northwest and middle Nigeria, where government control is limited.

While nobody has taken credit for the latest attacks, bandit gangs seeking financial compensation often attack schools in countryside locations where security is inadequate.

These groups maintain camps in vast forest areas spanning multiple states in the west of Nigeria.

While these criminals have no ideological leanings and are mainly motivated by financial gain, their increasing alliance with extremist groups from the northeastern region has become a significant cause of concern for officials and security analysts alike.